HBO’s The Last of Us Series officially has a new director. The Oscar-nominated Beanpole director Kantemir Balagov will direct the adaptation of Naughty Dog’s hit post-apocalyptic adventure game, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Beanpole, a drama focused on two women in post-WWII Leningrad, was selected as Russia’s entry for Best International Feature Film for the 92nd Academy Awards in 2019, but ultimately lost to South Korea’s Parasite. Beanpole earned Balagov the Cannes Film Festival’s best director award in 2019.

Balagov also directed 2017’s drama Closeness, a drama centering on a kidnapping of a young couple and the subsequent ransoming.

Balagov’s somber aesthetic is likely a factor in HBO’s decision to hire him, likely ensuring a dark tone congruent with the original game’s harrowing tale, and likely pairs well with writer and executive producer Craig Mazin. Mazin’s Chernobyl series was similarly known for being visually and thematically somber.

It was originally reported that the project would reunite Mazin and Chernobyl director Johan Renck, at least for the first episode, but THR reports that he has dropped out due to a scheduling conflict.

The Last of Us series was officially greenlit by HBO in November last year. The game’s creative director and writer Neil Druckmann is also writing and executive producing the series.

Sony Pictures Chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra announced in December last year that the studio is currently developing seven shows and three movies based on PlayStation properties. Vinciquerra didn’t clarify if The Last of Us series and Uncharted film were included in that count.

HBO’s The Last of Us Series officially has a new director. The Oscar-nominated Beanpole director Kantemir Balagov will direct the adaptation of Naughty Dog’s hit post-apocalyptic adventure game, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Beanpole, a drama focused on two women in post-WWII Leningrad, was selected as Russia’s entry for Best International Feature Film for the 92nd Academy Awards in 2019, but ultimately lost to South Korea’s Parasite. Beanpole earned Balagov the Cannes Film Festival’s best director award in 2019.

Balagov also directed 2017’s drama Closeness, a drama centering on a kidnapping of a young couple and the subsequent ransoming.

Balagov’s somber aesthetic is likely a factor in HBO’s decision to hire him, likely ensuring a dark tone congruent with the original game’s harrowing tale, and likely pairs well with writer and executive producer Craig Mazin. Mazin’s Chernobyl series was similarly known for being visually and thematically somber.

It was originally reported that the project would reunite Mazin and Chernobyl director Johan Renck, at least for the first episode, but THR reports that he has dropped out due to a scheduling conflict.

The Last of Us series was officially greenlit by HBO in November last year. The game’s creative director and writer Neil Druckmann is also writing and executive producing the series.

Sony Pictures Chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra announced in December last year that the studio is currently developing seven shows and three movies based on PlayStation properties. Vinciquerra didn’t clarify if The Last of Us series and Uncharted film were included in that count.

After he was recorded shouting at film set employees for breaking COVID-19 restrictions, Tom Cruise has reportedly purchased two robots designed to patrol the set of Mission Impossible 7 when it resumes film next week, The Sun reports.

The robots, which can reportedly administer on-the-spot COVID-19 tests, were purchased by Cruise. It’s unclear what kind of robots they are, but The Sun cites a source who describes them as “really sophisticated and rather intimidating. It’s like the Terminator only not as violent.”

“Tom is so serious about making sure the shoot isn’t shut down that he’s splashed out on these robots as he can’t be everywhere to ensure people are behaving themselves,” The Sun’s source said. “Yes, the rant that came out last month may have been a bit over the top, but he was right, and those who saw the story sympathised with him.”

Cruise isn’t the only person employing COVID-19 testing robots in Hollywood. CBS has reportedly expressed interest in renting or purchasing lab-certified disinfection bots used in more than 500 hospitals worldwide.

The Sun’s report doesn’t clarify what kinds of robots Cruise has acquired, but judging from the source’s comment, it’s a step or two beyond a stationary machine.

Mission Impossible 7 is planning on wrapping production in the United Kingdom this week before heading to Dubai to continue production.

After he was recorded shouting at film set employees for breaking COVID-19 restrictions, Tom Cruise has reportedly purchased two robots designed to patrol the set of Mission Impossible 7 when it resumes film next week, The Sun reports.

The robots, which can reportedly administer on-the-spot COVID-19 tests, were purchased by Cruise. It’s unclear what kind of robots they are, but The Sun cites a source who describes them as “really sophisticated and rather intimidating. It’s like the Terminator only not as violent.”

“Tom is so serious about making sure the shoot isn’t shut down that he’s splashed out on these robots as he can’t be everywhere to ensure people are behaving themselves,” The Sun’s source said. “Yes, the rant that came out last month may have been a bit over the top, but he was right, and those who saw the story sympathised with him.”

Cruise isn’t the only person employing COVID-19 testing robots in Hollywood. CBS has reportedly expressed interest in renting or purchasing lab-certified disinfection bots used in more than 500 hospitals worldwide.

The Sun’s report doesn’t clarify what kinds of robots Cruise has acquired, but judging from the source’s comment, it’s a step or two beyond a stationary machine.

Mission Impossible 7 is planning on wrapping production in the United Kingdom this week before heading to Dubai to continue production.

When people think of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, they'll likely gravitate to either the comics from Bryan Lee O'Malley or the live-action film from Edgar Wright. However, one of the lesser-known strands of the Scott Pilgrim brand was the film's licensed game tie-in. Like the film, it was not only a faithful adaptation of the comics' tribute to geek culture and retro games, but it also happened to be a fun co-op brawler in its own right. After a sudden delisting from digital video game stores in 2014, the once-lost licensed game has scored a second life with the Complete Edition, and it hasn't lost its exuberant style. The game's passion for a bygone era can often be a bit overwhelming, yet it still offers a satisfying time brawling through the streets with friends.

Like its comic and film counterpart, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game sticks with the same video game-inspired conceit, but interprets it into an actual video game. After the titular character meets the girl of his dreams in Ramona Flowers, Scott and his bandmates Kim and Stephen, along with Ramona, have to fight a rogue's gallery of evil exes seeking to disrupt the relationship. In the vein of a classic arcade brawler, the game keeps its story light to put all its energy into showing off the stunning 2D visuals of its side-scrolling beat-'em-up gameplay, which leans heavily into the splendor of the retro era.

The original game wore its inspirations--classic games like River City Ransom, Final Fight, and Final Fantasy--on its sleeve, and the Complete Edition keeps its aesthetic and core gameplay intact. What you get in this enhanced package is the full game, the four bonus modes involving zombies and dodgeball, and the extra DLC characters--which include Wallace Wells, Knives Chau, and hidden character Nega-Scott. The Complete Edition also comes with Network Mode for online play, which was a late addition in the final DLC for the original game.